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Creating better urban areas in South Africa through technology and innovation

Red Bull will be launching an initiative in South Africa on 28 February 2018 which it hopes will create more friendly, efficient, and accessible cities through technological and innovative solutions. Named the Red Bull Basement, it will be built around a hacker residency, a makerspace with free workshops and monthly lectures.

According to Red Bull, the programme will focus on creating debates and solutions around the creative use of technology in urban areas.

The residency will operate over two months, from 1 September 2018 to 31 October 2018 in Johannesburg. Those who are selected for the Red Bull Basement residency will have access to the makerspace, which will include classes and mentorship sessions over the two-month period.

"At the heart of the Basement, the programme is social innovation. By combining social and technology ideas, collective and environmental problems can be solved. This will result in the development of not only the urban areas but also surrounding communities." reads a statement from Red Bull explaining what the programme is about.

A core part of the programme is the Hatch events, which will take place in Johannesburg and Cape Town. These are a pipeline to expose the public to the programme and application process. A range of technology innovators and thinkers will mentor and give guidance to each project. These experts range from a wide array of fields, such as entrepreneurship, software development, design, and hardware.

In order to participate, applicants will need a project that is already in the early production stage. This can consist of a blueprint draft, pictures, 3D models, pieces of code and even a working prototype.

This is a different take to the traditional incubator that we have become accustomed to on the continent, more especially that there is a clear focus on improving urban areas.

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